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TBS Network BIG BANG THEORY Finale Marathon, May 2019: Cast Favorite Episodes + Commentary

Maj Canton - May 1, 2019

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After 12 seasons the seven-time Primetime Emmy Award-winning sitcom comes to an end on Thursday, May 16, 2019 on CBS from 8-9pm ET/PT. To honor the beloved sitcom, starting today -- Wednesday, May 1 -- TBS is celebrating THE BIG BANG THEORY series finale with seven nights of programming. Each night will air five episodes dedicated to a different character, chosen by the actor behind them. Actor commentary for the first five nights of programming is below. Farewell BIG BANG THEORY we will miss you.

 

 

 

 

 


 


Amy (Mayim Bialik)
 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1


8:00pm - "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver": Sheldon gets in trouble with Amy, and it's up to Penny to teach him how to be a better boyfriend. Howard, meanwhile, must come to grips with Bernadette's dislike of children.
"Tiara. This is the episode most people talk to me about. Sheldon gives Amy this tiara in the middle of her being upset with him and she literally crumbles and freaks out. Fun fact: this delivery of this line is the only way I ever did it; no direction. It just felt right!"

8:30pm - "The Scavenger Vortex": Raj puts together a scavenger hunt that turns into serious, cutthroat competition among the gang.
"Singing Neil Diamond with Simon. The scavenger hunt episode had me and Simon Helberg together a lot. I am his biggest fan and I tell him that pretty much weekly. Singing with Simon was a highlight of TBBT for me. He's so fun, he's so brilliant and I just hope I can somehow match his skills someday!"

9:00pm - "The Locomotive Manipulation": Amy has amour on her mind when she talks Sheldon into a romantic Valentine's Day getaway to Napa Valley wine country. Back at home, Leonard and Penny make an emergency visit to the vet with Raj's dog.
"Amy and Sheldon's first kiss on the train. I love how our writers let this intimacy unfold. It's awkward and sweet and tender. And fun fact: Jim had a full blown flu when we filmed this. I rinsed my mouth out with peroxide between takes and did not get his flu!"

9:30pm - "The Prom Equivalency": Penny's flirtatious sales pitch leaves a doctor-client smitten and the guys must pitch in to help her deal with him, while, Bernadette and Amy debate whether female scientists ought to play the sexuality card.
"First time Amy and Sheldon say "I love you." I loved the dress and hair and make up on me for this episode, honestly. And so I love that my memory of Sheldon deciding he must love Amy is when I look so Amy-cute. Jim is so gifted. I love that scene."

10:00pm - "The Opening Night Excitation": Prof. Proton visits Sheldon in a dream and gives him Obi-Wan Kenobi-like advice about whether to go see the new "Star Wars" film or spend the time with newly reunited girlfriend Amy on her birthday.
"Coitus. I can't make a list and not have this episode in there. What an unexpected sweet tender way for this couple to have this kind of intimacy. It felt so vulnerable even as an actor. And this episode set a record I believe for most viewed show in prime time. Big scene indeed!"


 


Raj (Kunal Nayyar)

FRIDAY, MAY 3


8:30pm - "The Grasshopper Experiment": Raj's parents set him up on a blind date, and when he discovers he can talk to her, she shows interest in Sheldon.
"This was the first time I spoke to Penny with a drink in my hand. And the world wide sales of Grasshopper's tripled."

9:00pm - "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency": With the rest of the gang off on a desert camping trip to view the Leonid meteor shower, Sheldon must play hero after Penny slips in the tub and dislocates her shoulder.
"Getting high in the desert with the guys, and then giving an entire speech about being the cruel King of a land of Rabbits was definitely out there for me."

9:30pm - "The Justice League Recombination": The guys get Zack and Penny to join their Justice League costume for a New Year's Eve bash at the comic book store.
"Attaching a foam Seahorse to my waist, and yelling Aquaman sucks while dressed up as Aquman was a real treat. That is, before Jason Momoa made actually Aquaman cool."

10:00pm - "The Bakersfield Expedition": Leonard's car is stolen when the guys take a road trip to a comic book convention in Bakersfield, dressed as Star Trek characters.
"Spending 9 hours in STAR TREK make up not so fun. Getting to make a joke about renting a car from "Enterprise"... priceless."

10:30pm - "The Confidence Erosion": Sheldon and Amy try to eliminate stress from wedding planning by applying math to the process. Raj "breaks up" with Howard after realizing his best friend is actually hurting his confidence.
"Because after 11 years of flat ironing my hair - I FINALLY got to wear it curly and natural as it is ;)"


Bernadette (Melissa Rauch)
 

TUESDAY, MAY 7


7:30pm - "The Pulled Groin Extrapolation": Attending a co-worker's wedding, Leonard and Amy get to know each other better, while Howard and Bernadette spend the weekend with Mrs. Wolowitz!
"I loved when I would get to imitate Howard's mother in conversation with Howard's mother. Carol Ann Susi (The OG Mrs. Wolowitz) was such a special and incredible woman and working with her was always such a wonderful treat."

8:00pm - "The Reentry Minimazation": Howard returns from space...without the welcome he wanted.
"Episode where Bernadette gets sick when Howard comes back from space. I loved playing both the physical and vocal comedy of this episode. You really see how much Bernadette loves Howard and how she wants to rally and be romantic with him now that he is back - even if it means blowing her nose in his face."

8:30pm - "The Parking Spot Escalation": Sheldon & Howard battle over an assigned parking spot.
"Bernadette and Amy getting involved in the argument between Howard and Sheldon shows how much they love their significant others. It was so much fun playing this fight out. I'm so the opposite of Bernadette as far as her aggression goes, so it always feels nice to step into her confrontational loafers. And girl's night's episodes are always so much fun to shoot with Kaley and Mayim."

9:00pm - "The Troll Manifestation": An online troll rips Leonard and Sheldon's published physics paper, so the guys rally to defend the two and expose the bully, while a girls night out leads to Penny, Amy and Bernadette dishing about embarrassing past events.
"The Miss California Quiznos episode. Two words: The. Hair."

9:30pm - "The Holiday Summation": Sheldon and Amy visit Leonard and Penny for the first time since the holidays and share details about their terrible trip to Texas.
"In this episode Howard and Bernadette are adjusting to life with a newborn and them dealing with all the crying (mostly their own). I love how it shows them navigating this new life change together. When Howard says "Good job, Mommy" through the crib slats, I get teary every time."


Howard (Simon Helberg)
 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8


7:30pm - "The Werewolf Transformation": A change in Sheldon's routine forces him to re-evaluate his entire life, when his barber is sick. Meanwhile, Howard rethinks his decision to go into space after astronaut training.
"I ate a butterfly. That kind of line only comes along maybe every four years like the Olympics. And like the Olympics, it deserves a medal. The progression of the scenes with Howard going through utter hell were so perfectly constructed. And the "butterfly" scene is one of the few instances where we only did one take."

8:00pm - The Closet Reconfiguration": To open or not to open? When Howard finds a letter from his father, he's forced to confront his past. And Leonard and Penny throw a grown-up cocktail party at the apartment.
"The writers brilliantly crafted this story climaxing in a kind "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" where each one of Howard's friends tells him a version of what is in the letter his father left him after abandoning he and his mother, while only one of them is true. It beautifully highlights how close this group of friends truly are."

8:30pm - "The Love Spell Potential": When the girls' trip to Vegas falls through, the guys invite them to a Dungeons & Dragons date night that causes Sheldon and Amy's relationship to take an unexpected turn.
"I had such a fun time doing that slew of impressions in the D&D scene. The audience was so pumped to hear all of those voices come out of me. I don't always love to do impressions because it can feel a bit like a party trick but it felt authentic to Howard's character, and ultimately doing voices and impressions became somewhat of a trademark of his."

9:00pm - "The Romance Resonance": Sheldon makes a major scientific breakthrough, but he feels it may haunt him for the rest of career. Meanwhile, Howard makes a grand romantic gesture to Bernadette, which causes Penny to put more effort into her relationship with Leonard.
"Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome (aka Garfunkel & Oates) wrote a brilliant song that is the most incredible blend of humor and emotion. Some of my favorite moments in the show is when the comedy and the humanity of these characters are in perfect harmony and this was a prime example of that."

9:30pm - "The Positive Negative Reaction": The gang learns Bernadette is pregnant and celebrate by singing karaoke. Meanwhile, Wolowitz freaks out over the pregnancy announcement and becomes convinced he must make more money to provide for the baby.
"The opening scene with Melissa was one of my favorites of the whole series. The rhythms and structure - from discovering the pregnancy test to pure elation to utter terror - is another instance of truly fantastic writing. And Melissa is the most open and wonderful scene partner anyone could ever have."


Penny (Kaley Cuoco)

FRIDAY, MAY 10


8:30pm - "The Barbarian Sublimation": Penny becomes addicted to an online game based on the world of Conan the Barbarian and persistently pesters Sheldon for advice.
"I had real Cheetos all over my face and enjoyed every second of it. [The one where Penny gets crazy with online gaming]"

9:00pm - "Bath Item Gift Hypothesis": Sheldon irks the gangs with his obsession with proper Christmas gift protocol. Leonard's crushed when Penny dates a colleague of his.
"That hug was one of the highlights of this show for me. [The one where Sheldon hugs Penny]"

9:30pm - "Adhesive Duck Deficiency": With the rest of the gang off on a desert camping trip to view the Leonid meteor shower, Sheldon must play hero after Penny slips in the tub and dislocates her shoulder.
"Jim and I laughed so hard while shooting the scene where he puts my shirt on. We couldn’t keep a straight face. [The one where Penny breaks her arm and Sheldon has to take her to the ER]"

10:00pm - "The 43 Peculiarity": Howard and Raj try to solve a mystery about Sheldon.
"That was one take and done!! [The one where Penny tells Leonard she loves him]"

10:30pm - "The Scavenger Vortex": Raj puts together a scavenger hunt that turns into serious, cutthroat competition among the gang.
"One of my favorite episodes, everyone had something hilarious to do and it was so well written. [The group scavenger hunt]


Leonard (Johnny Galecki)
 

TUESDAY, May 14


8:00pm - "The Wheaton Recurrence": Sheldon gets to square off at the bowling alley against nemesis Wil Wheaton. Meanwhile, Leonard's miffed when Penny doesn't respond the way he hoped after saying I love you.
"Leonard says I love you - It was the very personal moments, such as the character having his heart broken, that permitted us to mature him. That was always exciting as I knew it would be a changed Leonard moving forward. Still Leonard, but that I¹d need to consider that he would see things differently."

8:30pm - "The Benefactor Factor": After meeting at a fundraising gala, an aged but wealthy, Caltech donor makes Leonard ponder if he's willing to have sex with her to secure another donation.
"Mrs. Lathem - I loved working with Jessica Walter. And that Penny saw a side of Leonard she didn¹t before know. Or consider."

9:00pm - "The 43 Peculiarity": Howard and Raj try to solve a mystery about Sheldon.
"Penny says I love you - This was probably my favorite memory of a live audience taping. It felt very private. The cameras, crew and audience kind of disappeared in that moment. And that was the moment we used. One take."

9:30pm - "The Gorilla Disolution": A trying day at the movie shoot leaves Penny with questions about her life choices, so she decides to act on it; and caring for a bedridden Mrs. Wolowitz proves a challenge for Howard and Bernadette.
"Penny and Leonard get engaged - I found it heartbreakingly sweet Leonard quietly carried a ring for God-knows-how-long. For all of his math and science, Leonard was a diehard romantic sentimentalist. It¹s never more evident than in this episode."

10:00pm - "The Graduation Transmission": Wolowitz questions his abilities when he and Sheldon can't get a drone to fly. A canceled flight nearly prevents Leonard from giving the commencement address. Raj pits his parents against each other when his father cuts him off financially.
"Graduation speech - I remember talking a lot with Chuck Lorre while we filmed this. He had the great note to play the speech in the tone of a future me giving myself advice."


Sheldon (Jim Parsons)
 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15


8:00pm - "The Luminous Fish Effect": Sheldon's getting fired forces him to explore what life has to offer outside physics, leaving Leonard to take drastic action to snap his friend out of his funk.
"There are many things about this episode that I like, but I picked it for one reason and one reason only: it is the first time I had the chance to meet and work with Laurie Metcalf, which was a dream come true."

8:30pm - "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency": With the rest of the gang off on a desert camping trip to view the Leonid meteor shower, Sheldon must play hero after Penny slips in the tub and dislocates her shoulder.
"Kaley and I had some of our very best times on this show doing Sheldon and Penny scenes and this episode was full of them. From the awkwardness of Sheldon helping Penny get dressed, to the inappropriate way Sheldon helps Penny fill out her hospital forms, I can still vividly remember working on these scenes, even nine years later."

9:00pm - "The Pants Alternative": Sheldon's fear of speaking in front of large groups threatens his ability to accept an award, so the gang tries to help him get ready for the big night.
"I loved how I got to work in one-on-one scenes with each of the other characters, that was a lot of fun. The big scene at the end, which may LOOK like a lot of fun, was actually very stressful: learning that Element Song nearly put me over the edge, mentally!"

9:30pm - "The Agreement Dissection": Priya uses her legal expertise to rip apart Sheldon's roommate agreement, and the women take the flustered Sheldon out dancing.
"I loved the structure of this episode, the way I got to sort of take part in two different story lines: girls night and the fight over the roommate agreement at home. It was also a really fun episode with Mayim."

10:00pm - "The Ornithophobia Diffusion": Sheldon must overcome his fear of birds.
"This was an absolutely absurd idea that our writers handled beautifully. Sheldon¹s heartbroken desperation when the bird flies away was a genius idea that still makes me giggle when I think of it."